Foo Fighters | Genius Foo Fighters About Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American alternative rock band formed in 1995 by ex- Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl . Originally a solo project by Grohl to overcome the grief of Kurt Cobain ’s death, Grohl attracted label interest with his inaugural demo tape. He then decided to recruit a full band to perform the songs live. They have since released eight studio albums, four of which won Grammys, and sold over 12 million copies in the US alone. Fun Fact: According to Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters' band name is named after the UFOs that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II. I was reading a lot of books on UFO’s. Not only is it a fascinating subject, but there’s a treasure trove of band names in those UFO books! So, since I had recorded the first record by myself, playing all the instruments, but I wanted people to think that it was a group, I figured that FOO FIGHTERS might lead people to believe that it was more than just one guy. Silly, huh?

Popular Foo Fighters songs Foo Fighters | Rolling Stone artists > F > Foo Fighters > Bio Foo Fighters Bio The Foo Fighters emerged from the ashes of Nirvana, but the band's true roots lay in the years of personal recordings made by leader Dave Grohl. The former Nirvana drummer had played guitar and written songs since he was a Washington, D.C., teenager, while also playing drums in several hardcore bands. At 17, Grohl became the drummer for the veteran punk act Scream. In 1990 he joined Nirvana, but continued to work on his own material during breaks from the road and studio. After finishing Nirvana's Nevermind, Grohl returned to D.C. to record several tracks, which were released on the cassette-only Pocketwatch. Plans for another cassette release were shelved with Kurt Cobain's 1994 suicide. Later that year Grohl entered a studio with friend and producer Barrett Jones to record what would become the first Foo Fighters album. Grohl played all the instruments himself (with the exception of the song "X-Static," which featured guitar by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs).

Though he had written and sung just one Nirvana song (the B-side "Marigold"), Grohl demonstrated a flair for pop hooks and driving guitar rock. (The name Foo Fighters came from what American World War II pilots called unidentified fireballs spotted over Germany.) Grohl signed with Capitol and formed a band in time for a 1995 tour, recruiting bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith from the freshly-broken-up Sunny Day Real Estate. Pat Smear, the former Germs guitarist who had joined Nirvana for its final tour, also joined. Foo Fighters (Number 23) was released in 1995 and spawned the Modern Rock hits "This Is a Call," "I'll Stick Around," and "Big Me." Goldsmith quit during the making of The Colour and the Shape (Number Ten, 1997), the first Foo Fighters album recorded as a band, and was replaced by Taylor Hawkins (Alanis Morissette).

The album contained the Modern Rock hits "Monkey Wrench," "My Hero," and "Everlong." Smear quit and was briefly replaced by Franz Stahl (Scream) and then Chris Shiflett (No Use for a Name, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes), solidifying the lineup to date. Grohl relocated to Virginia and recorded There Is Nothing Left to Lose (Number 10, 1999) in his basement; the album included "Learn to Fly" (Number 13, 2000). In 2001 the group began recording its fourth album in Los Angeles, but stopped before finishing. Grohl took a break from band-leading by getting behind the drums again for Queens of the Stone Age's 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. Refreshed, Grohl gathered the Foos back together and re-recorded almost the entire album at his Virginia home studio, released as One by One (Number Three, 2002). The album further consolidated the band's place as the well-loved elder statesmen of alt-rock.

In 2004, Grohl released Probot, the self-titled side project featuring a number of vocalists from heavy metal legends, among them Lemmy Kilmister (Mot örhead), Snake (Voivod), King Diamond, and Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly). Later the same year, the Foos publicly backed John Kerry's presidential campaign, an endeavor Grohl said inspired the title of In Your Honor (Number Two, 2005), a double-CD featuring an acoustic disc and an electric disc. It featured the hit "Best of You" (Number 18, 2005), later covered, to Grohl's great delight and surprise, by Prince during his bravura halftime appearance at the 2007 Super Bowl.

(Foo Fighters had covered Prince's "Darling Nikki" on the B-side of the 2003 single "Have It All" and performed it live and on the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards with guest star Cee-Lo.) After a stopgap live disc, Skin and Bones (Number 21, 2006), Foo Fighters worked together again with Gil Norton, who'd produced The Colour and the Shape, and recorded the well-received Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (Number Three, 2007). The group scored both Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance at the following years' Grammy Awards, and performed "Young Man Blues" and "Bargain" (with Gaz Coombes of Supergrass) at VH1's Rock Honors concert for the Who. After this whirlwind of activity, Grohl announced the band would be taking a hiatus.

A greatest hits album featuring one new song, "Wheels," was released in 2009, and Grohl turned his full attention to another project: his role as drummer in the hard rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, which featured Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. The group debuted with a performance at the Metro in Chicago as part of a Lollapalooza after-party, and then made a series of festival appearances that summer before releasing their first album (Number 12) to generally positive reviews and strong sales in November of that year. Portions of this biography appeared in The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon & Schuster, 2001). J. Edward Keyes contributed to this article. Foo Fighters: Best Moments From 20 Years | Dave Grohl Watch Foo Fighters Shut Down Letterman Show Foo Fighters first flight (1995) After Nirvana ended in 1994, there were rumors that Grohl might join Pearl Jam or Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.

Neither happened, of course, because Grohl put together his own band to play some songs he had been working on for years, but that he had never shared with Kurt Cobain and his other Nirvana bandmates. The new band was called Foo Fighters — a World War II term meaning "unidentified flying objects," because Grohl initially flirted with keeping the project anonymous — and they made their live debut in 1995. Foo Fighters at the Fillmore © Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Foo Fighters play the Tibetan Freedom Concert (1996) Foo Fighters released their self-titled debut album soon after forming — with Grohl having done nearly all the recording himself — and started working on the follow-up album and did some touring in 1996. They found time to play the first Tibetan Freedom Concert, in San Francisco, along with the Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers , Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, A Tribe Called Quest, Björk , Fugees and many more.

Foo Fighters at the Tibetan Freedom Concert 1996 © Kmazur/Getty Images Foo Fighters win their first Grammy (2001) The band's first and second albums were nominated, but Foo Fighters did not win their first Grammy until 2001, when they won two: Best Rock Album for "There Is Nothing Left to Lose," and Best Short Form Music Video for "Learn to Fly." They have since won nine more, and there is a good chance they will win at least one for "Sonic Highways." Foo Fighters at 43rd Annual Grammy Awards © Vince Bucci/Getty Images Foo Fighters goof off with Jack Black (2003) Foo Fighters have made a lot of friends along the way to the top, and they have shared the stage with many of them. One such friend is comedy actor Jack Black, who has popped up on stages with the band numerous times. Here they are together at an MTV New Year's Eve party in 2003. Bet that was a wild night.

Foo Fighters with Jack Black © Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Dave Grohl joins Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello (2003) OK, so it is neat that Foo Fighters played with Jack Black a few times, but at the Grammy Awards in 2003, Grohl took the Madison Square Garden stage with Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello. If that is not legendary, what the heck is? Foo Fighters also took home one Grammy that year: Best Hard Rock Performance for "All My Life." Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello © Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello Foo Fighters win an MTV VMA (2011) Grammys are great — but is there anything more prestigious than winning an MTV Video Music Award? Absolutely not! They have been nominated 16 times, and won twice. The first win was back in 1996, when they won Best Group Video for "Big Me." Then in 2011 they won Best Rock Video for "Walk." They are destined to win some more.

Foo Fighters at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards © Kevin Winter/Getty Images Foo Fighters and Butch Vig win more Grammys (2012) The man standing with Foo Fighters in this photo from the 2012 Grammys — where the band won five awards — is Butch Vig. He has played a huge part in the band's success, and that success would arguably not be possible without him. Vig produced Nirvana's "Nevermind," and has worked with numerous bands since, including Green Day, the Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Against Me! And he has worked with Foo Fighters on their last two albums, "Wasting Light" and "Sonic Highways." Foo Fighters, Butch Vig at 54th Grammy Awards © John Shearer/Getty Images Dave Grohl rocks out with Paul McCartney (2012) How do you top yourself when you have already shared a stage with Bruce Springsteen? You share a stage with the Beatles' Paul McCartney , of course. That is exactly what Grohl did in 2012 at the MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to McCartney. Epic.

Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney © Christopher Polk/Getty Images Foo Fighters honor Rush at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2013) Rush was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013, so Foo Fighters' Grohl and Taylor, and Nick Raskulinecz (who has produced both Rush and Foo Fighters), put on costumes and took the stage to play some Rush tunes. The next year, Nirvana was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and so Grohl and Smear joined fellow former Nirvana member Krist Novoselic, and an array of guest vocalists ( Lorde , Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent's Annie Clark) at the ceremony to play some of the band's old songs. Now it is only a matter of time until Foo Fighters are inducted. Foo Fighters as Rush at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame © Kevin Winter/Getty Images Foo Fighters and Zac Brown on Letterman (2014) When David Letterman retired earlier this year, he had his favorite rock band play his final show. Any guess who that is? Yes, Letterman's favorite rock band is the Foo Fighters.

While archival Letterman images flashed on the screen behind them, the band ripped into "Everlong." The band has played the show several times throughout their career, including a stop with country musician Zac Brown — one of the guest artists on "Sonic Highways" — back in 2014. Foo Fighters, Zac Brown play David Letterman © CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images Foo Fighters live in Cape Town, South Africa (2014) The band has fans all around the world. Tons of them. This photo was taken in Cape Town, South Africa, where Foo Fighters kicked off their massive, nearly 100-date "Sonic Highways" world tour. It was also their first show ever in South Africa. Foo Fighters at Cape Town Stadium © Gallo Images/Getty Images Foo Fighters: Not even broken bones can stop them (2015) Foo Fighters have been touring for two decades so they know that things often go wrong on the road. Well, things went very wrong during the "Sonic Highways" world tour, when Grohl fell off the stage in Sweden and broke his leg.

But, somehow, Grohl was able to return to the stage later that same night, on crutches and in a wheelchair, to finish the set. Legendary. The band had to cancel some European dates, but they were able to continue in the U.S. At the Gentlemen of the Road Festival, in Walla Walla, Washington, Grohl took his throne and rocked out even though he was on crutches and his leg was in a cast. That is so rock 'n' roll. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters © Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images For the best stories from RedBull.com delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter . read more about Foo Fighters Profile - Metacritic Sign up Foo Fighters Biography: While drumming with Nirvana, Dave Grohl was recording original songs at home that never received public release. Those tapes would become the foundation of Foo Fighters, the band he formed in 1995, after the death of Kurt Cobain. Like Nirvana, Foo Fighters melded loud, heavy guitars with pretty melodies and mixed punk sensibilities with a sharp sense of pop songwriting.

Dave began playing guitar and writing songs in his early teens, as well as performing with a variety of hardcore punk bands. In the late '80s, when he was still in his teens, he joined the Washington, D.C. area hardcore band Scream as their drummer. During the final days of Scream, Grohl began recording his own material in the basement studio of his friend Barrett Jones. Some of Grohl's songs appeared on Scream's final album, “Fumble”. After Scream's 1990 summer tour, Grohl joined Nirvana and moved to Seattle. After Nirvana recorded Nevermind, Dave went back to the D.C. area and recorded a handful ofWhile drumming with Nirvana, Dave Grohl was recording original songs at home that never received public release. Those tapes would become the foundation of Foo Fighters, the band he formed in 1995, after the death of Kurt Cobain. Like Nirvana, Foo Fighters melded loud, heavy guitars with pretty melodies and mixed punk sensibilities with a sharp sense of pop songwriting. Dave began playing guitar and writing songs in his early teens, as well as performing with a variety of hardcore punk bands.

In the late '80s, when he was still in his teens, he joined the Washington, D.C. area hardcore band Scream as their drummer. During the final days of Scream, Grohl began recording his own material in the basement studio of his friend Barrett Jones. Some of Grohl's songs appeared on Scream's final album, “Fumble”. After Scream's 1990 summer tour, Grohl joined Nirvana and moved to Seattle. After Nirvana recorded Nevermind, Dave went back to the D.C. area and recorded a handful of tracks that would appear on Pocketwatch, a cassette released by Simple Machines. For most of 1992 he was busy with Nirvana, but when the band stayed off of the road, he recorded solo material with Barrett, who had moved to Seattle. The pair kept recording throughout early 1993, when Dave returned to Nirvana to record In Utero. He had toyed with the idea of releasing another independent cassette in the summer of 1993, but the plans never reached fruition. Following Kurt Cobain's alleged suicide in 1994, the drummer kept quiet for several months.

In the fall of 1994, booking time in a professional studio, Dave and Barrett recorded the album that became Foo Fighters' debut album in a week. Boiling down his backlog of songs to about 15 tracks, Dave played all of the instruments on the album. He made 100 copies of the tape, passing it out to friends and associates. In no time, Dave’s solo project became the object of a fierce record company bidding war. Instead of embarking on a full-fledged solo career, Dave decided to form a band. Through his wife he met Nate Mendel, the bassist for Sunny Day Real Estate. Shortly before the pair met, Jeremy Enigk, the leader of Sunny Day Real Estate, had converted to Christianity and quit the band, effectively ending the group's career. Not only did Nate join Dave’s band, but so did Sunny Day's drummer, William Goldsmith; former Germs and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear rounded out the lineup. The band, named Foo Fighters after a World War II secret force that allegedly researched UFOs, signed a contract with Capitol Records.

The band's self-titled debut, consisting solely of Dave's solo recordings, was released on July 4, 1995. It was an instant success in America, as "This Is a Call" garnered heavy alternative and album rock airplay. By early 1996, the album was certified platinum in the U.S. Throughout 1996, Foo Fighters supported the album with an extensive tour, enjoying a crossover hit with "Big Me" that spring. Late in the year, the group began recording their second album with producer Gil Norton. During the sessions, William left the band due to creative tensions, leaving Dave to drum on the majority of the album. Before the record's release in the spring of 1997, William was replaced by Taylor Hawkins, who had previously drummed with Alanis Morissette. “The Colour and the Shape”, Foo Fighters' second album and the first they recorded as a band, was issued in May of 1997.

Pat left the group in the wake of the album's completion, and was replaced by guitarist Franz Stahl, whose stay proved short-lived; 1999's “There Is Nothing Left to Lose” was recorded as a three-piece, with ex-No Use for a Name guitarist Chris Shiflett signing on soon after. “One by One”, the group's most polished production, appeared in late 2002, followed by 2005's “In Your Honor”, which narrowly missed the top of Billboard's album chart. Mixed: 0 out of 7 Negative: 0 out of 7 Foo Fighters - Music on Google Play Foo Fighters About the artist Foo Fighters is an American rock band, formed in Seattle, Washington in 1994. It was founded by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the death of Kurt Cobain and the resulting dissolution of his previous band. The group got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War II, which were known collectively as foo fighters.

Prior to the release of Foo Fighters' 1995 debut album Foo Fighters, which featured Grohl as the only official member, Grohl recruited bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith, both formerly of Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as Nirvana touring guitarist Pat Smear to complete the lineup. The band began with performances in Portland, Oregon. Goldsmith quit during the recording of the group's second album, The Colour and the Shape, when most of the drum parts were re-recorded by Grohl himself. Smear's departure followed soon afterward, though he would rejoin them in 2005. They were replaced by Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl was fired before the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose. 1 $9.49 Sonic Highways is the eighth studio album by the American rock band Foo Fighters. It was produced by Butch Vig and was released on November 10, 2014, on RCA Records. In writing the album's eight so... 1 1 $9.49 Wasting Light is the seventh studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters.

It was released on April 12, 2011 on RCA Records, and is the first album to feature rhythm guitarist Pat Smear since Th... 1 1 $11.49 Wasting Light is the seventh studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters. It was released on April 12, 2011 on RCA Records, and is the first album to feature rhythm guitarist Pat Smear since Th... 1 1 $9.49 Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is the sixth studio album by rock band Foo Fighters, released on September 25, 2007 by RCA Records. The album is noted for a blend of regular rock and acoustic roc... 1 1 $9.49 There Is Nothing Left to Lose is the third studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released November 2, 1999. The album marks the first appearance of drummer Taylor Hawkins, and is often s... 1 1 $9.49 The Colour and the Shape is the second studio album by the American rock band Foo Fighters. Produced by Gil Norton, it was released through Capitol Records and the group's own Roswell Records on Ma...

1 1 $9.49 Foo Fighters is the debut studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on July 4, 1995, by Capitol Records through Dave Grohl's label Roswell. Grohl wrote and recorded the entire album... 1 1 $9.49 Skin and Bones is a live acoustic album by Foo Fighters released on November 7, 2006. The 15-track set was recorded on August 29, 30 and 31, 2006 at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles and spotligh... 1 Red Hot Chili Peppers 0 Red Hot Chili Peppers, also sometimes shortened to "The Chili Peppers" or abbreviated as "RHCP", are an American funk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily co... 0 Audioslave 0 Audioslave was an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2001 and disbanded in 2007. The four-piece band consisted of then-former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Ch...

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The band's line-up includes founder Josh Homme, alongside longtime members Troy Van Lee... 0 Soundgarden 0 Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became t... 0 Nirvana 0 Nirvana was an American rock band formed by singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest... 0 Chris Cornell 0 Chris Cornell is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band Soundgarden and as former lead vocalist ... 0 Dave Grohl 0 David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, director and producer. He is best known as the former drummer for the grunge band Nirvana and the fo... 0 Bush 0 Bush is a British rock band formed in London, England in 1992.

The band found their immediate success with the release of their debut album Sixteen Stone in 1994, which is certified 6× multi-platin... 0 Weezer 0 Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1992, consisting of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner. Weezer has sold 9.2 million albums in the US and over 17 mi... 0 Them Crooked Vultures 0 Them Crooked Vultures is a rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 2009 by John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards, Dave Grohl on drums, and Josh Homme on guitar and vocals. The group also includes ... 0 Foo Fighters band Concerts Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed by singer/guitarist/drummer Dave Grohl in 1995 in Seattle, USA. Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his previous band Nirvana in 1994.

Prior to the release of Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums) (both of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft), and Pat Smear (guitar) (of The Germs) to complete the group. Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's second album The Colour and the Shape (1997), soon followed by Smear. Band From: Foo Fighters - News, Photos, Videos, Bio. Free music downloads at MP3.com Foo Fighters Genres: rock , alternative rock , Grunge , alternative , seen live Biography Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed by singer/guitarist/drummer Dave Grohl in 1995 in Seattle, USA. Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his previous band Nirvana in 1994. Prior to the release of Foo Fighters in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel (bass), William Goldsmith (drums) (both of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Fire Theft), and Pat Smear (guitar) (of The Germs) to complete the group.

Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's second album The Colour and the Shape (1997), soon followed by Smear. They were replaced by Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl left prior to the recording of the group's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999). Read More... Chris Shiflett joined as the band's second guitarist after the completion of There Is Nothing Left to Lose. The band released its fourth album One by One in 2002. The group followed that release with the two-disc In Your Honor (2005), which was split between acoustic songs and harder-rocking material. Foo Fighters released its sixth album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace in 2007. Over the course of the band's career, three of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated for Grammys. The band's seventh album Wasting Light was released in 2011 and peaked at #1 in several countries. Formation and debut album Dave Grohl joined the band Nirvana as the group's drummer in 1990.

In order to occupy himself during tours, he took a guitar with him and wrote songs. Grohl held back these songs from the band; he said in 1997, "I was in awe of frontman Kurt Cobain's songs. And intimidated. I thought it was best that I keep my songs to myself." Instead, Grohl occasionally booked studio time to record demos, and even issued a cassette of some of those songs called Pocketwatch under the pseudonym "Late!" in 1992. Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home on April 8, 1994, and Nirvana subsequently disbanded. Grohl received offers to work with various artists, and almost accepted a permanent position as the drummer in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ultimately Grohl declined and instead entered a studio in October 1994 to record twelve of the forty songs he had written. With the exception of a guitar part on "X-Static" by Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, Grohl played every instrument and sang every vocal on the tracks. "I was supposed to just join another band and be a drummer the rest of my life," Grohl later said.

"I thought that I would rather do what no-one expected me to do. I enjoy writing music and I enjoy trying to sing, and there's nothing anyone can really do to discourage me." Grohl completed an album's worth of material in five days and handed out cassette copies of the sessions to his friends for feedback. Grohl hoped to keep his anonymity and release the recordings in a limited run under the title "Foo Fighters", taken from the World War II term "foo fighter", used to refer to unidentified flying objects. According to Rope Songfacts, he was reading a book about military World War II sightings at the time and he wanted people to think it was a band. So he called it Foo Fighters as it was plural. However, the demo tape circulated in the music industry, creating interest among record labels. Grohl formed a band to support the album. Initially, Grohl talked to former Nirvana band mate Krist Novoselic about joining the group, but both decided against it. "For Krist and I, it would have felt really natural and really great", Grohl explained. "But for everyone else, it would have been weird, and it would have left me in a really bad position.

Then I really would have been under the microscope." Having heard about the disbanding of Seattle-based emo band Sunny Day Real Estate, Grohl drafted the group's bass player, Nate Mendel, and drummer, William Goldsmith. Grohl asked Pat Smear, who served touring guitarist for Nirvana after the release of its 1993 album In Utero, to join as the group's second guitarist. Grohl ultimately licensed the album to Capitol Records, releasing it on his new record label, Roswell Records. The group played its debut show at a keg party in February 1995. Grohl refused to do interviews or tour large venues to promote the album. Foo Fighters undertook their first major tour in the spring of 1995, opening for Mike Watt. The band's first single "This Is a Call" was released in June 1995, and its debut album Foo Fighters was released the next month. "I'll Stick Around", "For All The Cows" and "Big Me" were released as subsequent singles. The band spent the following months on tour, including their first appearance at the Reading Festival in England in August.

The Colour and the Shape After touring through the spring of 1996, Foo Fighters entered a studio in Woodinville, Washington with producer Gil Norton to record its second album. While Grohl once again wrote all the songs, the rest of the band collaborated on the arrangements. With the sessions nearly complete, Grohl took the rough mixes with him to Los Angeles, intending to finish up his vocal and guitar parts. While there, Grohl realized that he wasn't happy with how the mixes were turning out, and the band "basically re-recorded almost everything". During the L.A. sessions, Grohl played drums on some of the songs. Goldsmith said Grohl did not tell him that he recorded new drum parts for the record and, feeling betrayed, left the band. In need of a replacement for Goldsmith, Grohl contacted Alanis Morissette's touring drummer Taylor Hawkins to see if he could recommend anybody. Grohl was surprised when Hawkins volunteered his own services as drummer. Hawkins made his debut with the group in time for the release of its second album, The Colour and the Shape, in May 1997. The album spawned the singles "Monkey Wrench", "My Hero", and "Everlong".

Pat Smear announced to the rest of the group that he wanted to leave the band to pursue other interests. Four months later in September 1997 at the MTV Video Music Awards, Smear simultaneously publicly announced his departure from the band and introduced his replacement, Grohl's former Scream bandmate Franz Stahl. Stahl toured with the band for the next few months, and appeared on two tracks that the band recorded for movie soundtracks, a re-recording of "Walking After You" for The X-Files and "A320" for Godzilla. There Is Nothing Left to Lose In 1998, Foo Fighters traveled to Grohl's home state of Virginia to write music for its third album. However, Grohl and Stahl were unable to co-operate as songwriters; Grohl told Kerrang! in 1999, "In those few weeks it just seemed like the three of us were moving in one direction and Franz wasn't". Grohl was distraught about the decision to fire Stahl, as the two had been friends since childhood.

The remaining trio of Grohl, Mendel, and Hawkins spent the next several months recording the band's third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, in Grohl's Virginia home studio. The album spawned several singles, including "Learn to Fly", the band's first single to reach the US Hot 100. Before the release of the album, Capitol president Gary Gersh was forced out of the label. Given Grohl's history with Gersh, Foo Fighters' contract had included a "key man clause" that allowed them to leave the label upon Gersh's departure. They subsequently left Capitol and signed to RCA, who later acquired the rights to the band's Capitol albums. Chris Shiflett joined Foo Fighters as a touring guitarist before becoming a full member After recording was completed, the band auditioned a number of potential guitarists, and eventually settled on Chris Shiflett, who previously performed with No Use for a Name and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Shiflett initially joined the band as touring guitarist, but achieved full-time status prior to the recording of the group's fourth album. That same year, Foo Fighters established a relationship with rock band Queen, of whom the band (particularly Grohl and Hawkins) are fans.

Guitarist Brian May added a guitar track to Foo Fighters' second cover of Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Mission Impossible 2. When Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2001, Grohl and Hawkins were invited to perform with the band on "Tie Your Mother Down", with Grohl filling in on vocals for Freddie Mercury. In 2002, guitarist May contributed guitar work to "Tired of You" and an outtake called "Knucklehead". The bands have performed together on several occasions since, including VH1 Rock Honors and Foo Fighters' headlining concert in Hyde Park. One by One Near the end of 2001, the band reconvened to record their fourth album. After spending four months in a Los Angeles studio completing the album, Grohl spent some time helping Queens of the Stone Age complete their 2002 album Songs for the Deaf. Once the Queens of the Stone Age album was finished, Grohl, inspired by the sessions, decided to reconvene Foo Fighters to rework a few songs on their album.

Instead, they re-recorded nearly all of the album (save "Tired of You") in a ten-day stretch at Grohl's studio in Virginia. The final album was released in October of 2002 under the title One by One. Singles from the album included "All My Life", "Times Like These", "Low", and "Have It All". The band later expressed displeasure with the album. Grohl told Rolling Stone in 2005, "Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life. We rushed into it, and we rushed out of it." For most of its history, the band chose to stay away from the political realm. However, in 2004 prior to donating 3 million dollars to the new Pittsburgh Penguins arena, upon learning that George W. Bush's presidential campaign was using "Times Like These" at rallies, Grohl decided to lend his public support to John Kerry's campaign. Grohl attended several Kerry rallies and occasionally performed solo acoustic sets. The entire band eventually joined Grohl for a performance in Arizona coinciding with one of the presidential debates.

In Your Honor and acoustic tour Having spent a year and a half touring behind One By One, Grohl did not want to rush into recording another Foo Fighters record. Initially Grohl intended to write acoustic material by himself, but eventually the project involved the entire band. To record its fifth album, the band shifted to Los Angeles and built a recording studio, dubbed Studio 606 West. Grohl insisted that the album be divided into two discs–one full of rock songs, the other featuring acoustic tracks. In Your Honor was released in June 2005. The album's singles included "Best of You", "DOA", "Resolve", "No Way Back", and "Miracle". On June 17, 2006, Foo Fighters performed their largest non-festival headlining concert to date at London's Hyde Park. The band was supported by Juliette and the Licks, Angels & Airwaves, Queens of the Stone Age, and Motörhead. Motörhead's Lemmy joined the band on stage to sing "Shake Your Blood" from Dave Grohl's Probot album.

Also, as a surprise performance, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen jammed with Foo Fighters, playing part of "We Will Rock You" as a lead into "Tie Your Mother Down". In further support of In Your Honor, the band decided to organize a short acoustic tour for the summer of 2006. The tour included former member Pat Smear, who rejoined the band as an extra guitarist, Petra Haden on violin and backup vocals, Drew Hester on percussion, and Rami Jaffee of The Wallflowers on keyboards/piano. While much of the setlist focused on In Your Honor's acoustic half, the band also used the opportunity to play lesser-known songs such as "Ain't It The Life", "Floaty", and "See You". The band also performed "Marigold", a Pocketwatch-era song that was best-known as a Nirvana B-side. In November 2006, the band released their first ever live CD, Skin and Bones, featuring fifteen performances captured over a three-night stand in Los Angeles. An accompanying DVD was released, and featured tracks not available on the CD.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace For the follow-up to In Your Honor, the band decided to call in The Colour and the Shape producer Gil Norton. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released in September 2007. The album's first single, "The Pretender", was issued to radio in early August. The second single, "Long Road to Ruin", was released in December 2007, supported by a music video directed by longtime collaborator Jesse Peretz (formerly of the Lemonheads). In mid-to-late 2007 "The Pretender" topped the Modern Rock chart for a record 18 weeks, it also gave the band their third consecutive year at the top (a record), and made them the only artist besides Red Hot Chili Peppers to have 4 consecutive albums have songs reach the top (RHCPs have 5). When "Long Road to Ruin" reached the top it gave them their fourth consecutive year to have a song reach the top (breaking their own record). When the fourth single, "Let It Die", reached the top 20 it gave them 3 songs in the top 20, one of only four artists to do this.

"Let It Die" is also the album's third Number One hit on the chart. Not long after completing the recording sessions for the album, the band participated in Live Earth at Wembley Stadium in London, England, performing the penultimate set of the night. Later that summer, the band headlined V Festival 2007, including a surprise acoustic set on the Channel 4 stage under the name 606. In October 2007, Foo Fighters started their world tour in support for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. The band performed shows throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, Canada and Asia. The band finished its world tour in September 2008 at the Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park in Canada. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was nominated for 5 Grammys in 2008. The Foo Fighters went home with Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance (for "The Pretender"). The album was also nominated for Album of the Year, while "The Pretender" was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rock Song.

On 17 September 2008 Dave Grohl announced on The Chris Moyles Show that the band would be taking a long break from music so that they could return with a new sense of purpose, and also informed fans not to expect any new music for a while. "We've never really taken a long break, I think it's time," Grohl commented. "After doing Wembley, we shouldn't come back there for 10 years because we've played to everybody. We're over in the UK every year, every summer, so I think it's time to take a break and come back over when people really miss us." Wasting Light After taking a break from music, Foo Fighters returned in 2011 with the album Wasting Light. The album was recorded in Dave Grohl's garage, as opposed to Studio 606. Grohl addressed by stating "There's poetry in being the band that can sell out Wembley but also makes a record in a garage." Wasting Light features many guest musicians, including Krist Novoselic, who had played with Grohl in Nirvana.

Foo Fighters released a 30 second teaser on January 17th 2011 of the song "Bridge Burning", and on February 1st 2011 the announcement of the release date of the album, April 12th 2011, was accompanied by a 30 second teaser of "Miss the Misery". On February 12th, the music video for "White Limo" was released. And on February 23rd "Rope" was released for online streaming. On March 1st "Rope" was released as the first single from the album. It peaked at number 1 in the US on the Rock, Alternative, and Mainstream Rock charts. On April 9th the band appeared on Saturday Night Live (host Helen Miren). They played the song "Rope" for their first performance, and debuted the song "Walk" for their second. Wasting Light peaked at number 1 on the Albums chart in 12 countries, including the US and UK. It has achieved platinum status in Australia and New Zeland. Musical style When Grohl first started the band, its music was often compared to that of his previous group, Nirvana.

Grohl acknowledged that Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain was a major influence on his songwriting. Grohl said, "Through Kurt, I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that's stripped down." Foo Fighters also utilize the Pixies' technique of shifting between quiet verses and loud chorus, which Grohl said was influenced by the members of Nirvana "liking the Knack, Bay City Rollers, The Beatles, and Abba as much as we liked Flipper and Black Flag, I suppose". Writing and recording songs for the first Foo Fighters album by himself, Grohl wrote the guitar riffs to be as rhythmic as possible. He approached the guitar similar to how he approached playing a drumkit, assigning different drum parts to different strings on the instrument. This allowed him to piece together songs easily; he said, "I could hear the song in my head before it was finished." Once Grohl assembled a full band, his bandmates assisted in song arrangements. The members of Foo Fighters meld melodic elements with harder sounds. Grohl noted in 1997, "We all love music, whether it's the Beatles or Queen or punk rock.

I think the lure of punk rock was the energy and immediacy; the need to thrash stuff around. But at the same time, we're all suckers for a beautiful melody, you know? So it is just natural." Campaigning and activism In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive & Well, an organization that denies the link between HIV and AIDS, questions the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease. Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written by Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy. In January 2000, the band played a benefit concert for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize. The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film by Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which questions whether HIV is the cause of AIDS. The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's advice ran contrary to established medical wisdom about HIV and AIDS.

In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding more benefits for the organization. However, no further benefits have taken place, and the band has since removed the organization from its list of supported causes. Read more on Last.fm . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply. Top Songs Foo Fighters Foo Fighters Foo Fighters Biography "Foo Fighters" is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1995. Drummer Dave Grohl formed the group as a one-man project after the dissolution of his previous band, Nirvana, in 1994. Prior to the release of the band's eponymous debut album in 1995, Grohl drafted Nate Mendel as bassist, William Goldsmith as drummer, and Pat Smear as guitarist to complete the group. The band was small, young, and they began with performances in Portland, Oregon before gaining popularity. Goldsmith left during the recording of the group's second album, "The Colour and the Shape" (1997), and Smear's departure followed soon afterward.

They were replaced by Taylor Hawkins and Franz Stahl, respectively, although Stahl left prior to the recording of the group's third album, "There Is Nothing Left to Lose" (1999). Chris Shiflett joined as the band's second guitarist after the completion of "There Is Nothing Left to Lose". The band released its fourth album, "One by One", in 2002. The group followed that release with the two-disc "In Your Honor" (2005), which was split between acoustic songs and harder-rocking material. Foo Fighters released its sixth album, "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace", in 2007. Over the course of the band's existence, three of its albums have won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, and all six have been nominated for Grammys.

Question: In 1995 Dave Grohl formed which pop band?
Answer: FOO FIGHTERS